Western Kansas world., 1887-02-05
A NIGHT WITH AmApmaN

A NIGHT WITH A MAD MAN
Locomotive engineers as q general rule,
would rather do anything than talk
shop" and you might have sat around
the Rosemore hotel for hours while the
392 delegates to the Brotherhood con-
vention were there three weeks and new
u word about running an engine.
However, they do sometimes unlimber
their reluctant tongues, and when they
do their talk is usually full of pith and
moment. A small party of friends who
took a few delegates to private club
room after Ned Harrigan's entertain
ment Monday night, found this out,
when they got George Trainor, a small,
wiry, grsy-haired delegate from Illinois,
talking about his experiences.
sit has been some years now since I
have had a real genuine, hair-raising
scare on the foot board, said Mr.. Train
or. "Of course, have been startled
dozens of times and frightened once or
twice, when I saw was going into a
creek or plunging into gravel train.
But I haven't felt my heart sink down
into my boots and my cap rise up off my
head for ten years. The last time was
enough to last me for the rest of my life,
too. ] was running on the Lake Shore
road then, from Cleveland to Chicago.
I had taken job at firing with big,
brawny, si1-foot man on the throttle
named Tom Applegate. The third trip
I made with Tom we were to take the
fast mail from Cleveland to Chicago.
We had No. GIT, the biggest and newest
machine on the road and a terror for
speed. We pulled out of Cleveland on
time, at 1915, on the darkest and gloom
lest night lever saw, with four big mail
and baggage cars and five coaches and
sleepers. It was late in the fall, aud the
weather had been rainy for some time.
That night it poured down in steady
food, and the darkness was 30 intense
you couldn't distinguish an object
foot from your nose. I noticed that
Tom was unusually silent, and seemed
anxious and nervous, which was natural
enough, for the rains had softened the
ground and overfowed the streams, and
it was pretty dangerous going. We
logged along steadily at forty-five or
fifty miles an hour without exchanging
word, Tom watching the track closely
all the time. All of a sudden he jumped
from his seat, opened the furnace-door
and gazed intently for two or three min
utee in at the fire; then he looked up at
me and said spitefully:
$50, that's so, is it"
81 looked at him in speechless amaze
ment. The glare of the furnace fell on
his face, which was horribly distorted,
and his eyes glared at me not all like
Tom Applegate.
Il thought he was drunk; so, to humor
him, said, trying to laugh:
"'Oh, yes, that's so, Tom, that's So
"'Well, then,' said he, make up that
fire there. and be quick about it.
II knew that the fire didn't need any
making ur, but didn't dare say 40, and
began throwing in the coal. The steam
guage began to go up. In moment or
two more Tom got up and hung the
sledge hammer on the safety-valve. Then
the horrible thought came into my head
that Tom was crazy. No merely drunken
engineer would ever do that, no. matter
how drunk he might be. Every few
minutes Tom would get up and gaze into
the furnace and say:
"'Why don't you throw some coal in
there? Don't you see she's freezing to
death? Throw some coal in there, or
I'll throw you in to feed the fames.'
Gall the time we we're g,ing faster and
faster, and Tom now pulled her wide
open. The engine pulled forward with
wild plunge, and away We went, lurch-
ing from side to side over the uneven
tracks like drunken man, flying around
curves, dsshing headlong over bridges,
down grades and past stations with
frightful velocity. tell you what, that
was the awfulest ride I ever had. The
road was double tracked, SO there was
no danger OF meeting any train, but if
we kept on at that rate We would overtake
one in very short order. I knew that
there was freight not very far ahead of
us. What il we should dash into it just
as it was pulling onto side track? I
couldn't see Row mothers son on that
rushing train could possibly be saved in
such calamity. Even if we escaped
the freight we could not possibly keep
the track at such rate of speed.
tell you, lived three years in those few
moments.
eThe conductor musr have understood
that something was Wsnus, for the bell
rang two or three times tc stop, but Tom
only laughed and tore 1t nj Of the roof
Of the cab and flung it away Suddenly
he yelled with all his might. There she
is again, can't you ZEE her? pointing
shead-'Ther. she is again!
You bet I'll fix her ttis t,me!' and with
out another word he dashed out of the
front window Of the lab. The next
thing I knew the headlight flashed out
and we were rushing along in utter dark
ness. 1 felt that something must be
Gkw-~1s~-